Summary: The Legalization Of Marijuana

The Legalization of Marijuana

COMM/215

The Legalization of Marijuana
While marijuana is considered a gateway drug, it should certainly be legal. The legalization of marijuana has been a debated topic for a very long time. Whether in support or opposition, the emotions that individuals have (which are based on their opinions of the drug) are fervent. Marijuana can be used for different reasons besides the use of recreational euphoria such as health and financial. Marijuana has been called a gateway drug by some, meaning if used, could encourage some to use harder drugs or at least open their minds to the possibility. It’s also been called a gateway to a better economy and medical breakthroughs. Although the use of marijuana is
The US government has spent roughly 51 billion dollars on the “war on drugs” and somehow still hasn’t figured out a way to keep them off of the street. Also, this $51,000,000,000 price is also based upon what it costs to try cases as well as house offenders. “Perhaps the single greatest force behind the growth of the prison population has been the national "war on drugs." The number of incarcerated drug offenders has increased twelvefold since 1980. In 2000, 22 percent of those in federal and state prisons were convicted on drug charges.” (Cole 2000 p. 8). The government would see a decline in this price if marijuana was decriminalized, made legal and government regulated. Jobs would be created from the legalization and decriminalizing of marijuana also. From farmers who could grow and cultivate it to the individuals who would package it to the organizations who could regulate it, jobs would be plentiful. This would greatly increase our economy which in turn, would drive down the national deficit. The regulation of marijuana is just smart. Prohibition has not solved the drug problem. It has only led to the dangerous black market, run by cartels and criminals. A substantial portion of the billions of dollars used to purchase the drug on the Black Market could be filtered back into our local and federal economies which could benefit the
Also, it’s believed that other international manufacturers would benefit more {over time} because they have the best weather, soil and atmosphere for higher grade, better quality, organic marijuana. This is the same reasoning people use when purchasing cigars or wine. Cuba has a reputation for the best and highest quality cigars as Austria has for wine. It can be deduced that a country other than the US where the climate is predominantly favorable to growing the natural plant, would eventually have a stranglehold on the import of it. Another argument for the legalization of marijuana comes from lawyers, judges and pundits of the judicial system who have noticed trends that when one law is prosecuted more fervently, it takes focus off of other laws that are possibly more important. All in all, the government should work extra diligently in trying to legalize marijuana and educate society on what it actually does as opposed to what is speculated that it does by pundits who’ve never smoked it and are totally against the idea of smoking it for recreational as well as medicinal